diff --git a/roles/apt_update_and_upgrade/handlers/main.yaml b/roles/apt_update_and_upgrade/handlers/main.yaml
index 001bbe4..17f19f1 100644
--- a/roles/apt_update_and_upgrade/handlers/main.yaml
+++ b/roles/apt_update_and_upgrade/handlers/main.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
 - name: reboot the system
-  become: true
-  ansible.builtin.reboot:
+  ansible.builtin.include_role:
+    role: reboot
+  vars:
+    # Simply don't reboot on local connections and rely on proper handling of /var/run/reboot-required.
+    reboot__local_handling: ignore
diff --git a/roles/reboot/README.md b/roles/reboot/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..184b418
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/reboot/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Role `reboot`
+
+A role for rebooting a host, which also handles local connections gracefully.
+
+## Optional Arguments
+
+- `reboot__local_handling`: How to handle reboot on local connections. The default mode is `none`.  
+  Possible choices:
+  - `none`: Just runs `ansible.builtin.reboot`, which would fail on local connections.
+  - `ignore`: Just doesn't reboot on local connections.
+  - `file`: Doesn't reboot on local connections and instead touches the file defined by `reboot__local_handling_file`.
+- `reboot__local_handling_file`: The file to touch, if `reboot__local_handling` is `file`. Defaults to `/var/run/ansible-reboot-required`.
diff --git a/roles/reboot/defaults/main.yaml b/roles/reboot/defaults/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dbcdd1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/reboot/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+reboot__local_handling: none
+reboot__local_handling_file: /var/run/ansible-reboot-required
diff --git a/roles/reboot/meta/argument_specs.yaml b/roles/reboot/meta/argument_specs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7bad88f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/reboot/meta/argument_specs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+argument_specs:
+  main:
+    options:
+      reboot__local_handling:
+        type: str
+        required: false
+        choices:
+          - "none"
+          - "ignore"
+          - "file"
+      reboot__local_handling_file:
+        type: path
+        required: false
diff --git a/roles/reboot/tasks/main.yaml b/roles/reboot/tasks/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..791bf73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/reboot/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+- name: Reboot
+  ansible.builtin.reboot:
+  become: true
+  when: ansible_connection != "local" or reboot__local_handling == "none"
+
+- name: Touch a reboot required file
+  ansible.builtin.file:
+    path: "{{ reboot__local_handling_file }}"
+    state: touch
+    owner: root
+    group: root
+    mode: "0644"
+  become: true
+  when: ansible_connection == "local" and reboot__local_handling == "file"